Range of motion is crucial for performing simple everyday tasks, like reaching for high shelves or turning your head to check for oncoming traffic. Unfortunately, as we age, our range of motion can become increasingly limited. If left unchecked, it may worsen and ultimately restrict your lifestyle and independence.
Several factors contribute to a reduced range of motion, including tension in our shoulders and emotional trauma in our back. In turn, this can lead to neck pain, shoulder pain, and lower back pain, further limiting our flexibility. Our posture, along with the way we sit and stand, can also impact our range of motion, resulting in strained, tight, and painful neck, shoulders, and back muscles.
But don’t worry! There’s a simple exercise you can do to counteract this damage and improve your range of motion.
Basic Exercise: Following the Finger
First, sit on a firm surface like a chair or massage table. Your partner, who will be guiding you through the exercise, will stand behind you and extend their pointer finger out past your right shoulder, where you will look at it. As your partner moves their finger backward, follow it first with your eyes as far as you can, then turn your neck to follow it as far as you can, and finally, complete the rotation by turning your torso.
Next, have your partner move their finger back to center, and follow it with your eyes, neck, and torso. Then, switch sides and repeat the process, turning your eyes, neck, and torso sequentially to follow the finger.
Advanced Exercise: Adding Arm Movements for a Deeper Stretch
To enhance the basic exercise, reach your right arm across to grasp your left shoulder, hooking your fingers without squeezing. Then, place your left palm against your right forearm just below the elbow. This will assist the movement you do next.
First, exhale completely, as you will inhale as you turn to your right. Now inhale slowly as you follow your partner’s finger to the right, first turning your eyes, then neck, then torso, as you did before.
This time, as you turn your torso, pull on your shoulder with your right hand and push your right arm with your left hand. These pulling and pushing motions create a deeper stretch, encourage further rotation, and lead to a greater release of tension and increased range of motion.
Now, exhale as you follow the finger back to the center and relax.
Next, move your left hand from below the elbow to the opposite side of the right arm, cupping just above the elbow. This time, instead of pushing, your left hand will pull the elbow toward the left, adding an extra stretch as you follow your partner’s finger moving to the left. Start by looking left and turning your neck, followed by turning your torso as you inhale.
Finish this set by exhaling while following the finger back to the center. Repeat the entire sequence with the left hand grabbing your right shoulder and your right hand pressing your left forearm.
Performing this simple stretching exercise regularly can greatly improve your range of motion, thereby enhancing your flexibility and overall quality of life.
For more information on preserving and enhancing range of motion, visit Preventing Loss of Range of Motion with Age by Harvard Health Publishing or Principles of the Range of Motion Exercises by the American Physical Therapy Association.
